Starling Bank has launched a new AI-powered fraud detection feature designed to identify 10 different types of fraud including romance scams, investment fraud, and deepfake phishing attempts before customers send money.

The digital bank has added the new Scam Intelligence capability to Starling Assistant, its AI-powered financial assistant, which launched earlier this year.

The tool guides customers through a series of questions designed to help them recognise potential scams. For instance, the bank said, it could detect the initial signs of a romance scam and ask follow-up questions to clarify details. The chatbot will then advise the customer on whether it is likely to be scam and suggest a call with the bank’s support team to discuss futher.

The launch comes as authorised push payment (APP) fraud continues to rise. According to UK Finance, UK consumers lost £576.4 million to APP fraud in 2025, up 19 per cent year-on-year. Investment fraud losses increased by 40 per cent, while romance scam losses rose by 23 per cent.

The bank said the feature was developed with input from fraud advocate Cecilie Fjellhøy, whose experience of losing almost £200,000 to a romance scam was documented in the Netflix film The Tinder Swindler.

Fjellhøy said romance scams often create a psychological bond that makes victims resistant to warnings from friends and family.

"Sometimes it needs someone or something objective, like your bank, to help you see the scammer's behaviours for what they really are," she said.

The new capability builds on technology Starling first introduced in 2025 to identify fraudulent online marketplace advertisements. The bank said it has now expanded the system to cover a wider range of fraud threats and embedded it directly within Starling Assistant.

The assistant allows customers to interact with the bank using natural language and voice commands to manage finances, ask questions about spending, and plan actions such as transfers and budgeting.

Harriet Rees, Starling's chief information officer and the UK government's AI champion for financial services, said the bank's goal was to use AI to encourage behavioural change among consumers.

"We want anyone and everyone to realise that they too could be a victim of a scam," she said. "That starts with asking simple questions, and being inquisitive about what you plan to spend."

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